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Approval & Relaxation

Do you need a building approval & relaxation before you can begin your custom build or extension? Yes in most cases you need building approval. Relaxations are optional and applications go to your local council.

Building approval

Approval is required for almost all building works. Minor works such as tool sheds up to 10m2, a boundary fence less than 2 metre high (excluding pool fencing) and a retaining wall less than 1 metre high, do not require approvals.  A private certifier is responsible for assessing whether proposed building work complies with the Building Act 1975 and associated codes and standards. The certifier who issues the building approval, must carry out certain inspections at key stages to ensure the building work complies with the approval. If you are unsure ask your builder or contact a certifier.

This process will cost roughly $3,000 + and like most things depends entirely on the scope and complexity of your project, the more complex and the more site inspections required, the higher the cost. Once your project reaches completion your certifier must complete and pass a final inspection. Until this is done you may not be able to move into or back into your home and mightn’t have home insurance.

Council Relaxation

A relaxation can mean the difference of building 6 metres from your boundaries to 3 metres.

Although your builder can guide you, we recommend a little research to get a feel for what can be done on your block. Ask council about your boundary setbacks and amenities access are on your property. Roughly work out where you can build to (usually 4 or 6 metres to the boundary), and if that’s not enough to accommodate your ideas, look at a relaxed boundary (usually reduces set back to 2-3 metres). If the standard setback just won’t work for what you want, you could apply for a relaxation from the local Sunshine Coast Council, Noosa Council or other local council.

To apply for a Relaxation, you will need all of these:

1. The exact house location, a surveyor will need to measure the exact house location on the block. This ensures your design professional is working with the correct distances to boundaries (older houses are commonly closer to boundaries, or even over boundaries that what they should be). Surveyors charge around $600-750 per boundary marker.

2. Preliminary plans of the proposed design including elevations, site plan and floor plan. The council will be looking to see that the design will suit the area. You can engage a designer or architect for this; the cost will vary depending on the level of complexity and the size but as a rough guide between $8,000 – $12,000 via a designer, or from $15,000 – $20,000+ through an architect.

3. Complete a “Request for Referral Agency Response for Building Works” and it comes with an upfront and non-refundable fee. You can do this yourself but we recommend using a certifier. A certifier may add their own fee to manage this process for you but they understand what council will be looking for. A relaxation can take around 4-6 weeks to come through depending on back log.

A relaxation does come with a cost but it could make a big difference to the enjoyment of your building project. And of course if you have to weight this up against your budget.  If you have a difficult or sloping site or have restricted access you will already have expensive excavation and building costs to contend with.  Then there’s the type of finish you desire, the size and complexity of the build all adding to the cost.

It all comes down to budget and what your priorities are. If it’s all about cost and you already have a costly block of land to build on, you may wish to live with the standard boundary instead.  Knowing your priorities will dictate how you proceed.

For queries about boundary setbacks and relaxations please contact your local council.

Note: Prices listed are actual prices encountered by Ward Builders but they do vary by project according to the level of complexity each job requires.